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Tuesday, September 29, 2015

Women in Zambia’s Mukonchi community turn to seed-farming for livelihoods

By
Friday Phiri

Members of Pache-Pache group

Africa’s potential to transform its
economic fortunes through Agriculture is well documented. Even amidst the
challenges posed by climate change, experts believe Africa has the opportunity
to develop using a green economic pathway. However, the question is how?

The women of Munkonchi, a manganese
rich rural community in Zambia’s Mkushi district may be answering this question
with an emphatic ‘Yes we can’.

“Mining has a limited lifespan, but
agriculture is an endless business activity”, says Joyce Kalaka Zulu, one of
the 57 members of Pache-Pache Seed Growers Association.

Formed in 2011, the group is
composed mainly of women who have taken it upon themselves to liberate their
community from the mining dependency syndrome.

With an estimated combined acreage
of up to hundred hectares, the Association cultivates an average of four to ten
hectares each; an improvement which group Publicity Secretary, Evaness Kapemba
Munsanje attributes to the Alliance for a Green Revolution in Africa (AGRA)
supported Program for Africa's Seed Systems (PASS) whose main aim is to provide
higher-yielding seeds.

And now, women of Mukonchi are
benefiting indirectly from a grant that was given to Steward Globe, trading as
Afriseeds.

“We started by training the group in
seed growing techniques and provided them with foundation seed to kick-start
the programme after signing a contract with them”, says David Lungu, an
Agronomist at Steward Globe.

Lungu adds: “Considering the poor
market linkages that smallholders face, we are also providing a ready market
for the seed they grow at competitive prices”.

And Sylvester Machishi, who labeled
himself a repentant women rights abuser was full of praise of what the seed
multiplication programme has done for his family.

“Before the training in
entrepreneurship, I never allowed my wife to go for women club meetings nor
standing before a gathering as she freely does nowadays”, he explains. “But am
happy that this programme not only changed me personally but also changed the
economic fortunes of my family”, adds Sylvester.

And AGRA Regional Head for East and
Southern Africa Team, George Bigirwa says agriculture remains the surest means
for Africa’s economic development.

“At AGRA, we believe that
agriculture is the ultimate. And African smallholders require good seed
varieties to achieve the desired potential”, concludes Bigirwa.

Created in 2006, born of a strategic
partnership between the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and The Rockefeller
Foundation, AGRA aims at dramatically improving African agriculture, and to do
so as rapidly as possible.

And the bold decision by Mukonchi
women to ignore mining for agriculture could be an important step to realizing
the African Agricultural revolution dream.